VIDEO & PHOTO ALBUM: Councilmember Nancy Navarro, Del. Al Carr & Activists Speak Out for David Moon's House Campaign

Maryland Juice blogger David Moon held his first fundraiser for a 2014 House of Delegates race in Silver Spring and Takoma Park's District 20. With Delegate Heather Mizeur vacating her seat to run for Governor, I've been preparing to take the leap from progressive activism to progressive legislative organizing. Maryland Reporter's Len Lazarick dropped by our event and wrote a nice summary of the event last week (excerpt below):

MARYLAND REPORTER: David Moon, the man behind the Maryland Juice political blog in Montgomery County, made it sort of official Saturday on the back patio of his Takoma Park home. He’s running for the House of Delegates, with a formal announcement to come later....

"I really believe he would be amazing," [Montgomery County Councilmember] Navarro said. "We also need to recreate and reorganize our campaign strategies," and Moon can do that. "There’s a real opportunity to add more progressive choices," said Del. Al Carr, D-18.

Among the changes Moon wants to bring on economic justice issues is removing the heavy hand of corporations in politics, promoting women’s pay equity, providing universal child care, and demolishing "mass incarceration and the failed war on drugs.... "We have an opportunity to show that there’s a new way forward," said Moon. Moon has achieved a wide following with Maryland Juice....

VIDEO COMMENTARY FROM SUPPORTERS OF DAVID MOON: For those who weren't able to attend my event, I quickly pulled together a video of testimonials from some of the officials and activists who dropped by. In the short movie below, you can hear statements from County Councilmember Nancy Navarro, Delegate Al Carr, transit advocate Casey Anderson, and Dream Act student activist Jonathan Jayes-Green. Casey Anderson may have summed up the ethos of the event with his comment: "This race is a referendum on that idea, that we have turned a corner and people want something more from their politics - Democrats especially. And yet we've got legislators who would crawl through broken glass before they would take a tough vote...."


My campaign event last week was attended by a range of officials and progressive activists who were involved in some of the high-profile organizing campaigns of recent memory, including defending marriage equality and the Dream Act, advancing the Purple Line, and stopping corporate welfare. A few elected officials came out for the gathering, including Delegate Al Carr, County Councilmembers Nancy Navarro and Valerie Ervin, and Takoma Park Councilmembers Seth Grimes and Terry Seamens. We even had a drop-in from Clarence Lam, who is running for Delegate in the Howard County region. You can see the photo album from the event on Facebook:

Find out more at: http://www.DavidMoon.us

By Authority: Friends of David Moon. Chair: Marlana Valdez. Treasurer: Usman Ahmed.

CAT IS OUTTA THE BAG: Maryland Juice Blogger David Moon is Hosting a Brunch Fundraiser for a State House Campaign

The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.  Maryland Juice blogger David Moon is simply weighing a run for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 20.  Indeed, I had confirmed my exploration of this possibility to inquisitive journalists in recent months, but I'm now moving one step closer to making a decision. Next Saturday, I am hosting a brunch fundraiser at my home in Takoma Park, and I thought some readers might want to drop by and chat about my future plans. An all-star host committee of progressive activists in Maryland and Montgomery County has signed up to support my efforts, including a number of folks involved in recent organizing efforts around supporting marriage equality, fighting corporate welfare, promoting voting rights and transparency, fighting for civil liberties, standing up for immigrants' rights, advancing smart growth and transit, and much more. State Senator Jamie Raskin's 2006 campaign chair, Marlana Valdez, has also signed on to chair "Friends of David Moon" (details below):

Please Join Us for a Brunch Fundraiser at David Moon's House

Saturday, August 24   |   12:00 to 2:00 pm
30 Ritchie Ave, Takoma Park, MD 20910
RSVP at www.davidmoon.us

HOST COMMITTEE (IN FORMATION): County Councilmember Nancy Navarro, Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez, Marlana Valdez, Tamika Bennett, Dan Furmansky, Casey Anderson, Abigail Burman, Jean Athey, Sue Udry, Thomas Nephew, Martine Zundmanis, Usman Ahmed, Jonah Gold, Josh Gruenspecht, Rob Richie & Cindy Terrell, Tina & Don Slater, Lisa Polyak & Gita Deane.

In the meantime, I also produced a self-made video discussing why I'm thinking of running for the state legislature and telling viewers a little bit more about myself:




P.S. Don't worry, I'm not planning on junking up Maryland Juice with a bunch of news about my campaign. The dissemination of political news and mission of advancing social and economic justice will remain front and center for this blog.


By Authority: Friends of David Moon. Chair: Marlana Valdez. Treasurer: Usman Ahmed.

JuiceBlender: MD House Speaker Announces New Committee Members, Garagiola Firmly Supports Death Penalty & More!

Below Maryland Juice highlights a few noteworthy tidbits for Free State politicos:

JUICE #1 // FUNNY: BANKRUPT MARYLAND REPUBLICANS - Maryland Juice recently caught this amusing image and caption on the #mdpolitics feed on Twitter:

Day 3 of 2013 session. I never thought they'd be so upfront about it...  #mdpolitics #annapolis  pic.twitter.com/02Iwfp7F

JUICE #2 // NOT FUNNY: SEN. ROB GARAGIOLA FIRMLY SUPPORTS GOVERNMENT EXECUTIONS: With the big push progressives are making to repeal the death penalty in Maryland, it appears that they cannot yet count on support from State Senator Rob Garagiola (who was recently endorsed by numerous progressive groups like MoveOn in his recent run for Congress). Check out the following excerpt from The Baltimore Sun's coverage:

Garagiola firm on keeping death penalty

A Montgomery County senator whose vote death penalty opponents had hoped to sway this year said Friday that he is firmly committed to keeping capital punishment on the books.... Garagiola is the lone senator from Montgomery County who supports retention of the death penalty.... With his vote unavailable, the path to the minimum 24 votes to pass a bill becomes a bit narrower.

JUICE #3 // MARYLAND HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE BUSCH ANNOUNCES COMMITTEE SHUFFLES: A Maryland Juice source forwarded us the following press release from the office of Maryland House Speaker Mike Busch. The Democratic leader has made some changes to the leadership and committee membership in the Maryland House. Details below:

PRESS RELEASE

SPEAKER BUSCH ANNOUNCES COMMITTEE AND LEADERSHIP APPOINTMENTS

ANNAPOLIS, MD – House Speaker Michael E. Busch today announced committee assignments for six standing committees in the House of Delegates, as well as appointments to new leadership positions.  In the upcoming session, Appropriations, Economic Matters, and Environmental Matters each will have 24, Health & Government Operations will have 23 and Judiciary and Ways & Means will each have 22 members.

The committees are balanced to reflect the demographic, geographic and party makeup of the legislature.

The following Delegates were appointed today.  Delegates not included on this list will maintain their current committee assignments.

LEADERSHIP APPOINTMENTS

• Delegate Anne Healey (District 22), Chair, House Rules and Executive Nominations Committee
• Delegate Jay Walker (District 26), Vice Chair, House Rules and Executive Nominations Committee
• Delegate Samuel I. Rosenberg (District 41), House Chair, Administrative, Executive, Legislative Review Committee
• Delegate Frank Turner (District 13), Vice Chairman, Ways and Means Committee
• Delegate Benjamin Barnes (District 21), Chief Deputy Majority Whip
• Delegate Shawn Tarrant (District 40), Chief Deputy Majority Whip
• Delegate Anne Kaiser (District 14), Vice Chair, House Democratic Caucus
• Delegate Hattie Harrison (District 45), Chairman Emeritus
• Delegate Rudolph Cane (District 37A), Assistant Speaker Pro Tem

APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE

• Delegate Guy Guzzone (District 13), Chair, Public Safety & Administration Subcommittee
• Delegate Craig Zucker (District 14), Vice Chair, Public Safety & Administration Subcommittee
• Delegate Keith Haynes (District 44), Delegate Steve DeBoy (District 12A), and Delegate Craig Zucker (District 14) are new members of the Capital Budget Subcommittee, representing Baltimore City, Baltimore and Montgomery Counties.

ECONOMIC MATTERS COMMITTEE

• Delegate Galen Clagett (District 3A)

JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

• Delegate Glen Glass (District 34B)
• Delegate Samuel I. Rosenberg (District 41)

WAYS & MEANS COMMITTEE

• Delegate Eric Luedtke (District 14), Chair, Financial Resources Subcommittee
• Delegate Don Dwyer (District 31)
• Delegate Alonzo Washington (District 22)

# # #

Senate President Promises Vote on MD Death Penalty & Repeal May Turn On 1 Vote // WHIP-COUNT OF MOCO SENATORS

As Maryland's legislature gets back into gear for 2013, death penalty abolition is moving back into the spotlight. Below we provide a quick status update on the repeal effort, which seems to have gained new steam after high-profile wins for the Dream Act and marriage equality revealed a deeply progressive electorate in Maryland. A few weeks ago Governor Martin O'Malley hinted he might consider making another attempt to get the death penalty off the books in Maryland, and now members of the state's liberal advocacy community are gearing up for a push. Meanwhile, the NAACP has pledged to make abolition in Maryland their top priority this year, promising to open a dialogue that could shine the spotlight on numerous other racial disparities and embarrassingly ineffective policies embedded in our criminal justice system.

JUICE #1: SENATE PRESIDENT MIKE MILLER PROMISES DEATH PENALTY FLOOR VOTE IF A REPEAL BILL CAN PASS - Those who find the idea of murder by the government to be disgraceful are busy firming up votes to end the death penalty in The Free State. The reason for the sudden surge of activity is that The Baltimore Sun reported last night that Senate President Mike Miller pledged to find a way to bring the death penalty for a floor vote if the bill had enough support to pass (excerpt below):

BALTIMORE SUN: "If [Gov. O'Malley] shows me the votes, if he's got the votes on the floor of the Senate, then we'll find a way to move it forward," Miller said in an interview.....

Jane Henderson, executive director of Maryland Citizens Against State Executions, welcomed Miller's statement. She said death penalty opponents have had enough votes in the full Senate for repeal since the 2010 elections....

Speaker Michael E. Busch has said the House, which has not voted on full repeal in recent years, will take up the issue only if the Senate acts....

JUICE #2: DEATH PENALTY REPEAL WILL BE A CLOSE VOTE  //  HERE'S HOW MOCO SENATORS PLAN TO VOTE - Though sources following the issue are optimistic that there is now enough support to repeal the death penalty in Maryland, some are still indicating that the current whip count looks very close on the issue. At least one knowledgeable source thinks the success or failure of repeal this year may well come down to a single vote in the Senate, where 24 votes are needed for passage of legislation. Our source is also skeptical that Maryland politicians would bring the death penalty for a vote in 2014 (an election year); that means its now or perhaps never for abolitionists. 

Further compounding the urgency is that we have no idea what will happen in the next gubernatorial election, but right now we have a Governor who supports repeal. The current round of candidates to replace O'Malley in 2014, on the other hand, are a mixed bag on this human rights issue.

So with the Governor already on our side, and a new pledge for a Senate floor vote, its game time. We need to round-up twenty-four Senators in order to clear the first hurdle on the road to repeal. That means we will need all eight of Montgomery County's State Senators to hang together and pledge an early vote for repeal in 2013. We can't afford to have a Sam Arora-like incident on this issue, because we may not get another chance like this. Maryland Juice is currently constructing a whip-count of Montgomery County lawmakers on this issue to make sure we have our house in order. For now, I'm starting with the State Senate, but as the legislative session moves forward, we'll later post information about the House of Delegates, too. In any case, I've contacted all eight of MoCo's Senators and received responses from a few of them. For those I haven't yet heard from, I've researched their past positions on this issue and included them below. Here's my summary:

1. Senator Jennie Forehand: NO RESPONSE YET // SUPPORTED REPEAL IN 2009 & 2010
2. Senator Brian Frosh:  CONFIRMED SUPPORT FOR REPEAL IN 2013
3. Senator Rob Garagiola:  NO RESPONSE YET // WARNING: LISTED AS DEATH PENALTY SUPPORTER BY BALTIMORE SUN 2009
4. Senator Nancy King: CONFIRMED SUPPORT FOR REPEAL IN 2013
5. Senator Rich Madaleno: CONFIRMED SUPPORT FOR REPEAL IN 2013
6. Senator Roger Manno: CONFIRMED SUPPORT FOR REPEAL IN 2013
7. Senator Karen Montgomery: CONFIRMED SUPPORT FOR REPEAL IN 2013
8. Senator Jamie Raskin: CONFIRMED SUPPORT FOR REPEAL IN 2013

CONTACT SENATOR ROB GARAGIOLA & ASK HIM TO SUPPORT DEATH PENALTY REPEAL - So by the looks of it, if you live in Montgomery County right now the best thing you can do to help advance death penalty repeal is to contact State Senator Rob Garagiola and ask him to support the end of murder by the state government. A pair of 2009 Baltimore Sun articles list Garagiola as the sole death penalty supporter from Montgomery County, placing him alongside many Republican State Senators like David Brinkley and Alex Mooney and old school social conservadems like Mike Miller and Norm Stone (who voted to ban interracial marriage). But unlike for Norm Stone or Alex Mooney, we think there is hope for Garagiola. Please reach out if you have a moment:

STATE SENATOR ROB GARAGIOLA
James Senate Office Building, Room 104
11 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401
1-800-492-7122, ext. 3169 (toll free)
fax: (410) 841-3607
e-mail: rob.garagiola@senate.state.md.us

Photo Source

Photo Sources: Top, Bottom

JUICE #3: NAACP BLASTS SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HOLD-UP OF DEATH PENALTY REPEAL: Maryland Juice recently noted that Senate President Mike Miller (a supporter of government executions) was tinkering with the membership of committees to try and advance stalled wind power legislation. So on Sunday, we suggested that the same tactic should be considered for the Judiciary Committee, where death penalty repeal efforts have previously stalled.

In yesterday's Baltimore Sun, Maryland NAACP leader Gerald Stansbury also endorsed the idea in a piece calling on Miller to change the composition of the Judiciary committee. Stansbury highlighted the unrepresentative makeup of the 11 member committee (excerpt below):

GERALD STANSBURY // MD NAACP: Anyone who has followed the effort to repeal the death penalty in Maryland knows that the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee is the last obstacle needed to bring it to a long-overdue floor vote....

Despite Maryland's 31 percent African-American population, the committee has only one African-American member out of 11, Sen. Lisa Gladden of Baltimore. This is inexcusable for a group that oversees the death penalty, not to mention the crack/cocaine sentencing disparity, zero-tolerance policing and the use of SWAT teams....

Four of its 11 members are from Baltimore County, a large, predominantly white area that borders a large, predominantly African-American urban jurisdiction. Baltimore County is also the jurisdiction that has produced the overwhelming majority of death penalty prosecutions in the state.

It is no coincidence that that the four Baltimore County legislators are all "no" votes on allowing the death penalty repeal bill to go to a floor vote.... Every African-American senator in Maryland has signed a letter urging the repeal of the death penalty. These senators understand that in a state where nearly half of all murders go unsolved — the majority in predominantly African American neighborhoods — wasting our scarce funds on the death penalty is ineffective and unacceptable.

It's time for Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller to change the makeup of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee....

SIDEBAR: SEN. ANTHONY MUSE BUMPED OFF OF FINANCE COMMITTEE AND PLACED ON JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - Today Senate President Mike Miller did indeed increase the number of African Americans on the Judicary Committee. The Washington Post reports that Miller switched Prince George's Democrat Anthony Muse from the Finance Committee to the Judiciary Committee, but the switch was unrelated to the death penalty repeal effort and won't result in any additional votes for repeal. Muse (a death penalty opponent) is replacing another anti-death penalty lawmaker on the body (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller (D-Calvert) confirmed Thursday that he is making a change in committee assignments that should allow a wind-energy bill — a major priority of Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) — to advance in the chamber....

When the General Assembly reconvenes Wednesday, Muse will be replaced on the Finance Committee by Sen. Victor R. Ramirez (D-Prince George’s), Miller said. Muse will take Ramirez’s seat on the Judicial Proceedings Committee.

Ramirez and Muse have voiced support for repealing the death penalty in recent years, so the swap should not affect committee votes on that issue. In recent years, bills to repeal the death penalty have fallen one vote short....

WANTED: LEADERSHIP ON THIS ISSUE - Alright folks, that's my quick round-up on the death penalty. If you're with me on this issue, it seems clear that we will have to demand more than just a vote from our allied politicians on this. We need them to be leaders on this issue and to start working on their colleagues. No more excuses. It is time to abandon the embarassingly inept policymaking symbolized by a Dark Ages practice like government executions.

Besides, Marylanders with any shred of state pride left in our Cold War with Virginia should be quick to embrace death penalty repeal. After all, I see Virginia's zeal for executions as something totally in line with the rest of their social policy differences with Maryland. But somehow we let the death penalty linger on and on over the years as a gross point of similarity. Enough!

JuiceBlender: Chris Van Hollen vs. Steny Hoyer for U.S. House Leadership, Voter Confrontation with Sam Arora & More!

Now that the Presidential election has ended, politicos are moving on with their other agenda items. Indeed, many efforts have been on hold until after the election was over. It has only been days, but already folks are now talking about the 2016 White House race, and 2014 gubernatorial candidates are getting busy. Below Maryland Juice discusses a few upcoming political showdowns, starting with pundit speculation about who might take Nancy Pelosi's place as the Democratic leader of the U.S. House:

JUICE #1: REP. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN VS. REP. STENY HOYER FOR U.S. HOUSE MINORITY LEADER - Maryland Juice has been following the evolving story about U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's potential retirement. Indeed, Congressional Democrats are gearing up for a leadership shuffle and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer has been propping up centrist candidates and incumbents around the nation to try and take Nancy Pelosi's place. But pundits are beginning to discuss the possibility that the younger, more progressive Congressman Chris Van Hollen might be poised to challenge Hoyer for the top U.S. House spot. Indeed, Maryland Juice thinks he would better reflect the current trajectory of the Democratic Party nationally than Hoyer. Check out excerpts from the pair of articles below from Roll Call and Capital News Service (via Patch.com):

ROLL CALL: As speculation continues about the House Democratic leadership structure in the next Congress,  Rep. Chris Van Hollen  has been particularly busy....  He chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for two cycles and served as assistant to then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who named him to the Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction in 2011....

The scenario that some Democrats envision is that Van Hollen would be the beneficiary of a Pelosi-backed challenge to Hoyer for the Minority Leader’s job, should she step down after the elections. That could be the final chapter in the long and storied Pelosi-Hoyer rivalry. But the hurdles would be significant. Hoyer appears to maintain strong support in the Caucus and he’s served loyally for years under Pelosi, giving him a strong argument that it would be  his turn to lead....

But others keeping an eye on leadership intrigue note that leadership positions do not open up often, and that those in the party’s top echelon are very ambitious..... A Democratic strategist said the timing  “provides an opening to a challenger for one of the top leadership positions, but not much. If there’s anyone looking to run such a challenge, they’ll need to get their ducks in a row pretty quickly.”

Capital News Service updated the coverage on the story with this report (excerpt below):

CAPITAL NEWS SERVICE: If [Nancy Pelosi] were to resign, the most likely replacements would be Hoyer, Van Hollen or Clyburn, according [to University of Wisconsin professor David] Canon. Hoyer would be the next in the chain of succession as Democratic whip. "There is a tendency to just go up the leadership ladder and (Hoyer) is next in line. On the other hand, he is 73 years old," said Canon....

Van Hollen is younger, 53, and has built a high profile as a ranking member of the Budget Committee. He also played a key role as a past Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman, which makes him popular with other members. "They're the ones in charge of handing out the money," said Canon adding, "He's someone who creates a lot of goodwill."

JUICE #2: BACK TO DEFEATING DELEGATE SAM ARORA IN 2014 - Now that the marriage equality battle in Maryland has ended, some are beginning to return their sights to Montgomery County's anti-civil rights backstabber, Delegate Sam Arora. Indeed, MoCo voters approved marriage equality with a whopping 65% support from all voters, but that means that within the Democratic Primary voting population the margin will be much higher. Even in the senior citizen precincts in Leisure World (which are in Sam Arora's District 19), a clear majority of voters approved marriage equality. Moreover, voters have apparently not forgotten about Sam Arora's betrayal. Check out the following amusing Sam Arora sighting from AmericaBlog:

AMERICABLOG: You might remember Sam Arora. Liberal Netroots youngster who worked for Hillary and got himself elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, with the help of all of his Democratic friends. Then turned around and stabbed them all in the back....

So we don’t like Sam Arora much. And a group of our friends are going to make it their personal mission to make sure that pint-sized bigot Sam Arora never works in Democratic politics again...

Anyway, one of our readers, Sue Cohen, was early voting in Maryland today (marriage equality is on the ballot). And who should she run into but Sam Arora... Here is Sue’s story.

Subject: My confrontation with Sam Arora (hint: it did not end well for him)

On line for early voting at the Bauer Rec Center in Rockville, who comes strolling down the line to offer info on… well who cares? I He spoke to me and I yelled at him: “Just STOP!” I put my hand up and said: “Oh no Sam. You pussed out on marriage equality — you can never say anything to me again!”

He started to back away and I finished with: “You are a one term delegate — go now!”

My daughter who was with me started laughing, as did the two men we were chatting with.  Sam quickly moved away and I loudly said: “What a coward that guy is — He takes money from the Marriage Equality people, pledges to vote for it then turns his back and votes “no” — Do not trust him!”

So not only did I vote a straight Democratic ticket, voted YES on Questions 4 & 6 , but called that bastard to account. A very good day.

Thanks,
Sue Cohen
Rockville MD

Even those who just moved into his District are aware of Sam Arora's betrayal. Check out the amusing posts I caught on Twitter recently:

EARLY WARNING: Those Democrats who choose to stand by Sam Arora in 2014 should be judged harshly for doing so. STAND WITH THE PARTY BASE & LET HIM SINK.


JUICE #3: 2016 WHITE HOUSE SPECULATION BEGINS ANEW - The national pundits are already back to rating the 2016 White House race. The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza pulled together a list of possible GOP and Democratic candidates, and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is (of course) on the list. Interestingly, in a race without Hillary Clinton, Cillizza thinks that Cuomo is the front-runner. He also speculates that Maryland might be the most liberal state in the nation (excerpt below):

WASHINGTON POST: "Handicapping the 2016 presidential field"

Andrew Cuomo: If Clinton and Biden stay out, the governor of New York starts the 2016 race as the frontrunner. (Yes, those are big “if’s” but we are talking about a race that’s four years away!) Cuomo has a lot going for him as a national candidate: 1) he’s from a big and very Democratic state 2) He has already demonstrated an ability to raise lots and lots of money 3) He has a golden last name in American politics 4) He shepherded the New York same-sex marriage bill to passage in the state legislature, making him a hero to the gay community nationally 5) He is a political operative at heart, having played a lead strategy role in his father’s various political machinations.

Martin O’Malley: The governor of Maryland is, from all indications, the most “in” of any of the people on this list when it comes to 2016. O’Malley used his perch as the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association this cycle to boost his profile among reporters, donors and activists. (O’Malley was a near-constant on the Sunday show chat circuit.) Working for O’Malley is his record governing perhaps the most liberal state in the country, a top-tier (and experienced) consulting team and his own native political acumen (O’Malley was mobbed up in the Gary Hart presidential bids of the 1980s.) Working against O’Malley is the sense that he may be a poor man’s Cuomo and that he isn’t a proven commodity on the big national stage. 

JUICE #4: MARYLAND GOP INSULTS PUNDITS WHILE SPINNING THEIR EPIC FAIL - Maryland Juice just caught another amusing article where state Republican officials were trying to claim victory after their slaughter at the ballot box. Check out the ridiculous comments from the Maryland GOP in The Gazette. The Republican spokesperson quoted below even insults the political science professors who are calling the GOP out-of-touch with Maryland (excerpt below):

GAZETTE: ...the Maryland Republican Party did not have a bad night from Tuesday’s election results, the party’s spokesman said. “I actually think the opposite,” Maryland Republican Party spokesman David Ferguson said Wednesday. “We had a great day....” “If they say this is a Republican failure, that’s absolutely false,” Ferguson said. “If there’s any perception [Tuesday] was a bad day, it’s backwards....”

“It’s clear the Republican Party led by the Tea Party is out of sync with voters in Maryland,” said Tim Magrath, executive director of the J. Glenn Beall Jr. Institute for Public Affairs at Frostburg State University. “The times that Republicans have done well in Maryland is when they are moderate....”

The Maryland Republican Party’s opposition to the state Dream Act as it was approved in Maryland “flew in the face of what Latinos were looking for” and showed they were out of step with most Marylanders, said Stella M. Rouse, assistant professor of government and politics at the University of Maryland, College Park....

“These are political science professors who sit in offices and have never run campaigns,” Ferguson said....

More on the post-election strategery soon!

AFTERMATH // Analysis of Maryland Election Results: MD GOP Lives in a Bubble & Montgomery Co. Is Now MD's San Francisco

Below Maryland Juice discusses various aspects of the statewide ballot question results, along with the outcomes of our Congressional races.  After we run through the numbers, we put the broad results into context. See below:

BIG VICTORY FOR DEMOCRATIC LEADERS IN MD // ALL STATEWIDE BALLOT QUESTIONS PASS: The passage of all of the statewide ballot measures (which wasn't a sure bet at all) should be seen as a huge victory for Maryland's Democratic leaders. They muscled together coalitions for a number of controversial measures, and they emerged on election night with a perfect score. Even though I don't agree with some of the referenda that passed, I have to admit that this was an impressive feat. Below you can see some summary figures on the referenda, along with some of my notes:

• Question 1 - Qualifications for Prince George's Orphans' Court Judges: 87.7% for vs. 12.3% against

• Question 2 - Qualifications for Baltimore County Orphans' Court Judges: 87.9% for vs. 12.1% against

• Question 3 - Suspension of Elected Officials Upon Conviction: 88.0% for vs. 12.0% against
   
• Question 4 - Dream Act: 58.3% for vs. 41.7% against
  • Note: A majority of voters in the following counties voted "for" the Dream Act - Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Charles, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's, Somerset, Wicomico.
   
  
• Question 5 - Congressional Districts: 63.5% for vs. 36.5% against
  • Note: The Congressional District plan won large majorities in the Democratic strongholds of Montgomery, Prince George's and the Baltimore region.

• Question 6 - Marriage Equality: 51.9% for vs. 48.1% against (93,849 Vote Margin out of 2.4 million)
  • Note: A majority of voters in the following counties voted "for" marriage equality - Anne Arundel, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Frederick, Howard, Montgomery. The measure failed in Prince George's County by only 4,000 votes, making the issue a virtual 50/50 split among voters there.
   
  
• Question 7 - Gambling Expansion: 52% for vs. 48% against
  • Counties for Gambling Expansion: Baltimore City, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, Prince George's, St Marys, Somerset, Washington, Wicomico & Worcester
  • Counties against Gambling Expansion:Anne Arundel, Baltimore County, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Dorchester, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Queen Anne's, Talbot  

One interesting factoid to note is that Frederick and Anne Arundel Counties voted "for" marriage equality, but "against" the Dream Act.

MOCO HELPS DRIVE PROGRESSIVE SURGE // IS MONTGOMERY COUNTY MARYLAND'S POLITICAL "SAN FRANCISCO"? - Indeed, I have often been accused (by Democrats and Republicans alike) of living in a liberal bubble. But it now seems that it is the conservatives and their allied Democratic naysayers who are increasingly the ones out-of-touch with the mainstream of Maryland politics. Times are clearly changing, and old school attitudes that may have once been the norm are now giving way to the forces of rapid diversification of Maryland's population. At the driver's seat of this change is the growing cadre of diverse, liberal-minded Democratic voters in Montgomery County. 

Two Montgomery County lawmakers pointed out the growing importance of MoCo for pushing progressive politics in Maryland. Delegate Anne Kaiser sent her MoCo delegation colleagues a congratulatory email about marriage equality, and her message noted that Montgomery County's motherlode of liberal votes was instrumental to the passage of Question 6 (see below):

ANNE KAISER: Dear colleagues - Today, I'm reminded that not only did 31 of 32 Montgomery County legislators vote for marriage equality this past year, but each of us also cosponsored the legislation.  And beyond that, I sensed that we all also shared a deep conviction about the issue and a strong personal desire for the ballot measure to pass last night.

In case you hadn't seen the county by county results, Montgomery County voters supported the measure 65-35%.  But more importantly, without our county's 120,000 vote margin, the vote would have failed in Maryland.  I imagine you all join me in being proud of the role our county played in making Maryland the first state in the nation to win marriage equality in a referendum. 

Thanks for your friendship and support.

State Senator Jamie Raskin echoed similar sentiments in a victory email blast today (excerpt below):

JAMIE RASKIN: In Maryland, we made history, becoming the first state in the Union to uphold marriage equality, by a healthy margin of 52%, at the polls.  (In Montgomery County ... we won a massive 65% of the vote.) We were quickly followed last night by Maine, Minnesota and Washington state, where voters again stood up for equal rights for all and the right of all people to love and have the legal recognition  of their marriages, families and children.  The tide of history has turned.

We made history again by passing the Dream Act--by a resounding 58% margin and a stunning 72% in Montgomery County, which has proven to be the progressive powerhouse in the state. 

LEISURE WORLD SUPPORTS MARRIAGE EQUALITY: Lastly, to prove how thoroughly liberal in nature Montgomery County has become, Paul Bessel sent us a quick note about the results from the precincts in Leisure World -- a large community of seniors at some of the largest Democratic precincts in the state:

PAUL BESSEL: It may be of interest to you and your blog readers that voters in Leisure World may have surprised some people. It was reported in the press that "older voters" were less enthusiastic about marriage equality than others. Leisure World has proven that is not true.

The Maryland Board of Elections is currently reporting that the state totals are about 51% to 49% in favor of Question 6. The votes cast in Leisure World on November 6 --- this doesn't include early voting, where Leisure World voters voted early in higher proportion than others --- were 56% to 44% in favor of marriage equality (1,783 to 1,417).

So, the "older voters" of Leisure World supported Question 6 in higher proportions than the overall vote in Maryland.

In general, Leisure World voters, as expected, supported President Obama by a huge proportion, as well as Senator Ben Cardin and Congressman Van Hollen. For MoCo Board of Education, Leisure World supported incumbents Phil Kauffman and Chris Barclay, and challenger Rebecca Smondrowski.

DEMOCRATIC INCUMBENTS WIN LANDSLIDE ELECTIONS: Democratic House incumbents thoroughly trounced their Republican opponents -- even when campaigning in vastly new districts. Meanwhile, Ben Cardin won a majority of voter support for his re-election, while his nearest challenger trailed by double-digits. Indeed, each of Maryland's incumbent Democrats won their election battles handily and should now feel they have a mandate from their constituents to push for a progressive agenda when they return to Congress. No excuses next session!

In the newly drawn 6th Congressional District battle, Democrat John Delaney crushed GOP Rep. Roscoe Bartlett. We could all feel the slow and painful implosion of the Bartlett campaign over the course of the last few weeks, so this result is a little bit anti-climactic. It now remains to be seen what kind of Congressman Mr. Delaney turns out to be and what his issue priorities will be.

Lastly, Tea Partier Andy Harris easily won-re-election against Democrat Wendy Rosen (who dropped out of the race a few weeks ago) and write-in candidate John LaFerla. Unfortunately, shoring up Rep. Harris' district was one of the consequences of trying to take down Roscoe Bartlett. Check out the summary results below (winners in bold):

• SENATE: Ben Cardin (D) 55.2% vs. Dan Bongino (R) 26.6% vs. Rob Sobhani (U) 16.9% 
• CD1: Andy Harris (R) 63.9% vs. Wendy Rosen (D) 27.0% vs. Write-In 5.3% vs. Muir Wayne Boda (L) 3.8%
• CD2: Dutch Ruppersberger (D) 65.4% vs. Nancy Jacobs (R) 31.3% vs. Leo Wymowski (L) 3.2%
• CD3: John Sarbanes (D) 66.5% vs. Eric Knowles (R) 29.8% vs. Paul Drgos (L) 3.5%
• CD4: Donna Edwards (D) 76.8% vs. Faith Loudon 21.1% vs. Scott Soffen (L) 2.0%
• CD5: Steny Hoyer (D) 69.2% vs. Tony O'Donnell (R) 27.9% vs. Bob Auerbach (G) 1.4% vs. Arvin Vohra (L) 1.3%
• CD6: John Delaney (D) 58.6% vs. Roscoe Bartlett (R) 38.1% vs. Nickolaus Mueller (L) 3.2%
• CD7: Elijah Cummings (D) 76.2% vs. Frank Mirabile (R) 21.1% vs. Ronald Owens-Bey (L) 2.6%
• CD8: Chris Van Hollen (D) 62.5% vs. Ken Timmerman (R) 33.8% vs. Mark Grannis (L) 2.1% vs. George Gluck (G) 1.5%

CONTEXT // MARYLAND CONSERVATIVES LIVE IN A BUBBLE - Maryland Juice has for a long time believed that conservative activists and lawmakers have been turning the Maryland Republican Party into a regional party, unable to win statewide races. The election returns last night provided further support for this theory. Numerous GOP lawmakers in recent years have been deploying in Maryland, the most inflammatory and divisive tactics from the rightwing toolbox of campaign tricks (ie: campaigns driven by immigrant scapegoating, race-baiting, and homophobia). But while those deplorable tactics might work in other more homogeneous states, I never believed they made sense in a state with a densely Democratic and diverse electorate - like we have in Maryland.

Granted, Maryland Democrats redrew the Congressional Districts in their favor, but the truth is that the Republican challengers facing Democratic incumbents never had a path to victory. None of them campaigned on the issues in a viable way in their majority-Democratic districts, and instead each of them tried to act as if they could rile up the small GOP base enough to overcome the rest of the electorate. Some of them still seemed surprised that independents and Democrats were not attracted to their message.

Is the GOP stuck? It is perhaps possible that the Republican primary electorate is too conservative for the party's nominees to win general elections. If that is so, then Maryland Republicans might want to consider opening their primaries. Otherwise, they should be prepared to face a long electoral dryspell or endless battles between factions.  

Either way, what happens next ought to be fun to watch....

BREAKING: Senator Brian Frosh Plotting 2014 Run for Attorney General // FORECAST: Senate Vacancy & New Judiciary Chair?

GAMECHANGER: Several very credible sources are reporting that Maryland State Senator Brian Frosh is plotting a bid for Attorney General in 2014. The long-serving Democrat from Montgomery County-based District 16 is actively reaching out to his colleagues for early support in his bid for statewide office. Brian Frosh currently serves as Chair of the Senate's Judicial Proceedings Committee and is recognized as a progressive leader in the Senate. We expect him to receive broad support in a run for Attorney General.

IMPACT: Notably, Maryland Juice is also hearing rumors that Senator Jamie Raskin plans on remaining in the State Senate and is encouraging of Frosh's efforts. Raskin was widely rumored to be weighing a run for Attorney General earlier this year. Frosh's potential entry in the Attorney General field may put the squeeze on other potential MoCo candidates like State's Attorney John McCarthy and Delegate Bill Frick. We previously noted numerous other Democrats who were weighing the 2014 race, but we'll have to see how this development changes the field.

Outside of the impact on the 2014 candidate field, Frosh's entry in the Attorney General race also means there is likely going to be a District 16 State Senate vacancy in the near-future. That obviously also means that the Senate's judiciary committee will need a new Chair. As a result, Frosh's decision will have many ripple impacts that are not yet evident.

Maryland Juice continues to have issues with Frosh's squashing of an effort to expand student representation on the MoCo school board earlier this year. Nevertheless, so far it seems likely that he may be a progressive standard-bearer in the 2014 race. After all, his overall legislative record is pretty responsive to the Democratic primary voting base.

We will let you know more as the stories unfold!

CD6: Air Force Dr. Milad Pooran Donates $200K to Himself // ANALYSIS: Progressives Will Swing Democratic Primary

U.S. HOUSE CAUCUS POLITICS - Maryland Juice yesterday noted that two Maryland political pundits recently wrote articles scorching the two frontrunners in the 6th Congressional District Democratic Primary. Both columnists also drew attention to the contrast provided by the campaign of Air Force physician Milad Pooran. Dr. Pooran is running in the CD6 Primary and has received the backing of Howard Dean and the co-chairs of the U.S. House Progressive Caucus - Congressmen Keith Ellison and Raúl Grijalva. Rep. Ellison, for what it's worth, is also hosting a fundraiser for Milad Pooran. We received the announcement for the following event via email:

Please Join Congressman Keith Ellison in support of Dr. Milad Pooran

Candidate for the 6th Congressional Seat of Maryland

Hosted by: Congressman Keith Ellison

Thursday, March 29th, 9:00AM
Thornton Lounge, Hyatt Regency, 400 New Jersey Ave NW
Minimum contribution $250

STRANGE DYNAMICS: Interestingly, State Senator Rob Garagiola has the support of centrist House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, and I think I recall reading that he had the support of the more progressive centrists in the New Democrat Coalition (aka the NDN caucus). But Garagiola also has the backing of the liberal activist group MoveOn.org and many of the progressive interest groups that make endorsements (ie: Progressive Maryland, Sierra Club, Human Rights Campaign, etc). This is creating interesting dynamics in the race. Either way, Mr. Pooran must feel some encouraging signs, because The Baltimore Sun reports that he has decided to inject more than $200,000 of his own money into the race. See an excerpt below:

BALTIMORE SUN: If Maryland's 6th District election was a poker match, Democrat Milad Pooran would be all in.

The Jefferson physician, whose campaign for the Democratic nomination has largely operated in the shadow of two better-known opponents, announced today he will put $200,000 of his own money into his campaign -- a significant investment of his personal savings, aides said.